A beastly man who is powerful but deeply flawed. A crippled beauty possessing a secret strength. Can they save the kingdom… and each other?
And even if they break the curse, will they get their happy ending?
Follow Beauty and the Beast not only through the curse but through their journey across these three beloved fairy tales to find their happily ever after.
1. Before A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
Prince Everard was raised to be a warrior, but after the death of his father, his entire life has fallen apart. Unsure of who he is and unable to cope with the pain, Everard makes a choice that puts both his Fortress and himself in great jeopardy…
Isabelle wishes she could be rid of the prince and his unruly temper after he ruined her life in more ways than one. But when Everard summons the merchant’s daughter to help him break a curse, she wonders if the prince is the beast she always thought him to be. As she moves from resentment to acceptance to affection, she discovers the sheer joy love can bring… as well as the utter devastation of loss. Can Ever and Isa move past their brokenness to find love and save Destin together, or will they and their beloved kingdom remain under darkness forever?
2. Blinding A Retelling of The Princess and the Glass Hill
It has been only five months since their wedding, but Ever and Isa are already being torn apart. Duty to the kingdom keeps Ever occupied, while Isa struggles to master the Fortress's mysterious fire. So when the young couple is invited to an ally's betrothal ceremony, they go in hopes of enjoying the honeymoon they never had.
Upon arrival, however, something is sorely amiss. A glass hill, an ancient enchanter, and the mysterious tribute paid to Isa's younger brother, Launce, quickly dash their hopes of rest, and it's not long before Ever and Isa must fight to protect the Fortress, their neighbors, and even the very love that binds them.
3. Beauty A Retelling of Hansel and Gretel
Henri and his little sister, Genny, find themselves abandoned in the forest when something dark beckons to them. Something sweet. And though Henri strives to use his special abilities to protect his sister, the call soon becomes too strong for even him to ignore.
Back at the Fortress, King Everard and Queen Isabelle are enjoying a reign of peace, but what should be a time of joy is marred by the pain of being childless. So when Isa and Ever find themselves in charge of two forsaken children with unusual abilities, and they are called to face an enemy with unexpected connections to Ever's past, they must trust the Fortress once again if they wish to hold onto their kingdom, the hope of parenthood, and ultimately, one another.
This anthology contains the first three novels in the Classical Kingdoms Collection. These fairy tale retellings are set in the same world as the other Classical Kingdoms Collection novels, featuring (as always) clean and wholesome romance, magical mystery, and heroic happily ever afters. Follow Ever and Isa on their journey as they go from Beauty and the Beast to beyond!
*This book was previously published as The Becoming Beauty Trilogy.
Brittany lives with her Prince Charming, their little fairy, and their tiny prince in a decently clean castle in whatever kingdom the Air Force has most recently placed them. When she's not writing, Brittany can be found chasing her kids around with a DSLR or belting it in the church choir. You can find more of her work at her website BrittanyFichterFiction.com.
What is this? A Beauty and the Beast retelling I actually love? Who am I?!?! LOL!
In all seriousness though I really love this book despite its rough start—this was clearly the author’s first book and it shows a bit in the first few chapters and in a few other minor ways throughout, so please give this book a bit of a chance before quitting because this story is so, so beautiful and worth the read (despite how long it took me to read it… *moods are so annoying*)
I actually liked that even though Ever is our “official beast” character both he and Isa were rather beastly in their own ways and had to overcome their own selfish hearts in order to become beautiful inside and out. I loved both Ever and Isa and felt so much for them, and their growth and change in themselves and towards each other is beautiful to watch. And Garin is one of my new new favorite mentors as he is just so amazing and cares about Ever so much.
The story is basic but no less amazing and moving, and I love the subtle yet powerful Christian messages and truths woven in though I think anyone of any faith can read and enjoy this story. Plus the Fortress is so unique—I really love the thought and creativity behind it and how the magic works.
A wonderful beginning to this series, and one of my new favorite fairy tale retellings!
‼️Content‼️
Language: damned (to describe some people’s situation)
Violence: a horse and cart step on/crush a girl’s wrist and ankle (not detailed); an order is made to kill weaker people (it’s never carried out); flaming arrows are shot at a character; injuries and blood (not detailed); giant hawks attack characters; a character is stabbed in the chest; fighting with weapons and magic (not detailed)
Sexual: kissing (not detailed)
Drug/Alcohol: a character gets drunk; a poisoned dagger
Other: magic; good and bad magical abilities and powers; a castle has magical powers granted to it by the Maker (God); a curse; death and grief; people look down on a girl for being a cripple
⚔️Blinding Beauty—5 Stars⚔️
This book was so hard to read at times due to Ever and Isa struggling with their marriage (and gave me tons of anxiety, not gonna lie, eheh) yet it was also so, so good and just what I needed to read at the time I read it.
I love how we get to see into the happily ever after which most fairy tale retellings don’t show and while it’s clear Ever and Isa love each other they still have struggles and pasts to overcome but they come out SO much stronger at the end and it’s beautiful and powerful to watch unfold. I also loved seeing from Isa’s brother, Launce, and how he had to grow and change too even though I will admit sometimes I wanted to rush past his chapters to get back to Ever and Isa, lol.
Also I’ve never heard of the fairy tale The Princess and the Glass Castle but I’m going to have to look into it now! It’s so nice to see authors retell obscure fairy tales along with well known ones, though I can’t say if it was a good representation of the original as of now. I loved the story even though, again, it gave me heaps of anxiety and the bad guy creeped me out, haha. Though I also wanted to punch him too…
I’m so excited to continue with Ever and Isa’s story and highly recommend this book! Brittany Fichter is DEFINITELY one of my new favorite authors now!
‼️Content‼️
Language: bastard; whore; hell
Violence: fighting with weapons and magic (not detailed); injuries and blood (not detailed); a sword nearly cuts a character’s neck; a couple characters are stabbed with swords; a brainwashed girl injures and nearly kills a woman
Sexual: kissing (not detailed); a drunk man takes off his pants (nothing is shown); kisses on the cheek and top of the head; a vague mention of a minstrel cramps; talk of a married couple not having a baby yet
Drug/Alcohol: several men get drunk; characters are given drugged drinks; a poisoned sword
Other: magic; good and bad magical abilities, objects, and powers; a castle has magical powers granted to it by the Maker (God); death and grief; a character is kidnapped and chained to a chair; a man magically manipulates people’s minds/hearts/actions; characters are thrown in a dungeon
⚔️Beauty Beheld—5 Stars⚔️
Oh my goodness, this is my favorite book in the trilogy, hands down! I loved this book so much I’m not sure I can put it into words (despite being an author, lol) but I’ll try my best.
Ever and Isa have grown so much from Blinding Beauty and it was so amazing to watch them work together to fight this new threat and grow closer and closer throughout while also struggling so realistically both as individuals and as a married couple. I love their healthy relationship and it has really given me a good look at what a healthy, growing married relationship looks like, and I really appreciate and applaud the author for that. Not to mention I just adore Isa and Ever and will follow them anywhere, lol.
And Henri and Genny!!!! I love these kids! They feel so real (even though I’ve never been around young kids) and I ached for them and what they had to live and go through in their young lives but also was so, so happy for them when they met Isa and Ever. And Garin… *sobs* I can’t say much more without spoilers, but I’m both sad and happy with how things with him were handled and remembered in the end.
The fairy tale retelling elements of Hansel and Gretel were well done though I honestly wouldn’t have cared if they weren’t since I love this book so much. I wasn’t expecting the fae twist though it works really well with this fairy tale, not to mention I did NOT expect all the other twists and turns and shocks this book took. My poor babies… 😩😭
Also as a potential trigger warning, infertility is a huge part of the story and talked about a lot, but I thought the topic and grief around it was handled well with a lot of compassion and understanding.
My only complaint is it’s over! 😭😭😭 I’m so sad I’ve reached the end of Ever and Isa’s story and there’s no more I can dive into though I’m for sure continuing the Classical Kingdom series, and I hope they make appearances in those books. *fingers crossed* And while I’m sad it’s over I’m happy with the way things ended and will for sure reread and visit these characters again. Another glowing five stars!
‼️Content‼️
TRIGGER WARNING: infertility
Language: bastard; damnation; damning
Violence: fighting with weapons and magic (not detailed); injuries and blood (not detailed); hints that a character was tortured (they’re battered and weak); a mob attempts to kill a character; a woman plans to kill her own children; a woman slaps a character
Sexual: kissing (not detailed); infertility; one extremely vague hint of a husband and wife sleeping together (nothing is shown here or even stated outright); an unfaithful husband results in an illegitimate child; a character is accused of having children outside of marriage (this is false)
Drug/Alcohol: a character is poisoned with hemlock
Other: magic; good and bad magical abilities, objects, and powers; fae; a castle has magical powers granted to it by the Maker (God); death and grief; characters are thrown in a dungeon; children are intentionally abandoned by their parents three times; children are being kidnapped/going missing; illegitimate children
Wow. So many feelings. This trilogy was a wonderful and emotional experience with Ever and Isa and all their loved ones. I'm looking forward to reading more about them in the future.
Although you know good wins in the end, it takes a minute to get there. I like that it isn’t easy and they are learning as they go through trials. Now can I have blue fire?